How is it a small wine bar tucked away in a back alley in Tremezzo has emerged as a top-rated…read morerestaurant in all of Lake Como? This was the question that drew my wife and me to Cantina Follie on our recent visit. After spending an evening there, I now understand its high ratings.
It's initial charm comes from it's illusive location off the beaten path on a quiet narrow alley up and away from the busy lake-side road with its strip of restaurants and shops. After entering the ground level entry of the restaurant, you then climb up through short catacomb-like 'tunnels' up to the rooftop dining area, passing along the way small nooks lined with a jars of homemade Italian delicacies and rooms displaying an extensive collection of wines. The rooftop, with its grapevine canopy, is very informally furnished with what are essentially picnic tables and are lit minimally by a small number of votive-style candles. All-in-all a charming and romantic setting if ever there was one, made all the nicer by the congenial and eager-to please staff who are undoubtedly all part of the family-run business.
Being a small-time wine collector, I asked for something special that I would not find back home the US. After some discussion, I was persuaded to try what she referred to as a "meditation" wine from the nearby Valtinella region: a Triacca "Prestigio" bottling. This is, she explained, their style of making premium wines by leaving the harvested grapes out to dry out before pressing, the dried grapes making a more concentrated wine. The young lady serving us insisted on decanting the 6 year old bottling after which the 'meditation' wine turned out to be excellent. As a premium wine, it came with premium pricing, 40 Euros. But most of the wines offered are priced reasonably at around half as much.
Accompanying the wine are served cold food plates. We tried a plate of parmesan, honey and fresh pears, a combination that, to our surprise and delight, worked beautifully. We also tried a second plate that mixed olive-oil marinated porcini mushrooms with parmesan. Again simply delicous. We discovered that jars of these delictable marinated porcini were among those delicacies spotted earlier on the way to the roof. It was so good, we took home several jars.
The charmingly rustic setting, the congeniality of the hosts, the wonderful food, and lots of great wine made for a giddily romantic evening for the two of us. Although it may not be the absolute top wining and dining adventure we had at Lake Como, Al Veluu Restaurant is hard to beat, it was certainly an evening we will remember fondly.
